


It’s Friday, I’m…In…?

by pocketmumbles (livelikejack)



Series: Wolf Moon 'verse [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aromantic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 03:23:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2051751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livelikejack/pseuds/pocketmumbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What’s it like, being in love?</p><p>(Or, the one where Isaac's aromantic but tries to figure out the romance thing anyway. Isaac-centric character expansion in the Wolf Moon 'verse. Companion piece to "...In Bed." See notes for minor ships.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	It’s Friday, I’m…In…?

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the Wolf Moon ‘verse, which means that Isaac was abused by his father, began living with the Hales at age 14, and never became a werewolf. Also, he is aromantic and non-asexual. If anyone wants me to whip up a timeline to summarize key events of Wolf Moon so you don’t have to slog through it again, let me know.
> 
> I didn’t tag any relationships since I don’t like to clutter ship searches, but this fic includes **Allison/Isaac** , with mentions of **Danny/Isaac** , **Kira/Scott** , and **Derek/Parrish**. I never gave Parrish a first name in Wolf Moon, and he’s now canonically Jordan Parrish, so Jordan it is.
> 
> I based my ideas of romantic love on what I’ve heard from stories, love songs, and [that one gifset from Orange Is The New Black](http://tonysavicki.tumblr.com/post/88226307848/what-do-i-think-love-is). I am fairly certain that I got the first line of this fic from [When You’re Somebody by PunkPinkPower](http://archiveofourown.org/works/930228) (it’s cute Danny/Isaac, you should read it).
> 
> Title is from the song “Friday I’m In Love” by The Cure.

**_2012_ **

Isaac leans in and brushes his lips against Scott’s. He’s hoping for fireworks, maybe, or maybe for his heart to flutter like a hummingbird, or maybe a tug deep in his core, or maybe his foot will pop off the ground like they do in those romantic comedies that Erica loves and Cora pretends not to love.

He feels…well, Scott’s lips are soft, so that’s nice. He pulls back and licks his lips, tasting minty wax. “Huh,” he says.

Scott stares at him with wide eyes, still frozen in place. Isaac watches his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. “I’m sorry,” Isaac says.

Scott blinks. “Wait, what?” he says, shaking his head in confusion. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line? I mean,” he backtracks quickly, “Let’s talk about this, uh…”

“It’s okay,” Isaac says, but his voice sounds hollow, and he knows that Scott will hear his heart trip over the lie. “I’m not in love with you.”

Scott’s brow furrows. “You’re telling the truth,” he says slowly. “About not being in love with me.” Isaac nods, lips pressed into a thin line. “But that’s…not okay?” Isaac nods again. He bites down on his lip and worries his sleeve between his fingers, and Scott gently tugs him down to sit on his bed. This isn’t how it was supposed to go at all. “I’m kind of lost, here,” Scott admits.

“I thought I was in love with you,” Isaac says, staring down at Scott’s blue comforter. “I was so sure. I care about you, and I like being around you all the time, and I always want you to be happy, and I’m happy when I’m the reason you’re happy. That’s – that’s love, isn’t it? I always want you in my life, isn’t that what love is?”

“Well, of course it is,” Scott says. Isaac doesn’t look up, but he can feel Scott’s gaze drilling into the top of his head anyway. He watches his fingers tap on his leg. “But…that’s not necessarily being _in_ love. There are different kinds of love, you know.”

“But everyone falls in love,” Isaac says. “Everyone wants to be in love. That’s – that’s the one thing everyone has in common. That’s the one thing that everyone _gets_.”

“Isaac.” He feels a hand under his chin, and Scott gently tilts his face up to meet his brown eyes, so sweet and caring and warm. Isaac doesn’t feel butterflies in his stomach, not a single one, and he wants to cry. “Isaac, you can’t force yourself to fall in love. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Then how does it?” he asks. He doesn’t care how badly his voice wobbles. He’s tired of this. He’d been so sure that it would work with Scott. He’d been…he’d been his last chance. It _had_ to work with him. “How does falling in love work, then, because I must have missed the day they taught us that in class! I’ve tried, okay, I’ve tried and I’m not…I’m just. I’m just _wrong_.”

“Isaac, no.” Scott gathers him in his arms, tilting his head onto his shoulder and rubbing soothing circles on his back. “You’re not wrong, Isaac. You’re perfect just the way you are. …Maybe you could blow up public property a little bit less.” Isaac chokes out a laugh. “But you’re not wrong, Isaac. It doesn’t matter if you can or can’t fall in love.”

“I could,” he says. “I might. I _could_.”

“Maybe,” Scott says, shrugging lightly. “And maybe not. And that’s fine.”

“But if I can’t, then-”

“Then what?” Scott asks. He pulls back to look Isaac in the eye. “You said so yourself. You care about me, don’t you? You love me. You love your family, and you love your friends.” He watches him carefully. “Does it feel like you’re missing something?”

Isaac blinks and looks away. “I should. Everyone…there’s always…”

“That wasn’t the question,” Scott says. “Isaac, do you feel like you’re missing something?”

He takes a deep breath, looks into Scott’s eyes, and steels himself. “No. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.” He’s surprised by how much lighter he feels. He feels…calmer, almost, something like…

Scott’s face breaks into one of his beautiful smiles. “Then you’re just fine.”

Relief. He feels relieved. He nods, and his own smile comes a little easier. He licks his lips. “So, what’s it like, being in love?”

 

**_2011_ **

He can’t imagine his life without Erica. He just – he really can’t. No matter what happens, no matter what kind of future he envisions, she’s always right there next to him. Or, if not next to him, keeping the gas running in the car right outside. Kira admitted to him once that she’d thought they were twins when she first met them. He’s never had to explain himself to Erica, and she’s never had to explain herself to him. They’ll always have each other’s backs. A life without Erica Reyes is a life that Isaac never wants.

Still, they’re not actually the same person. (Ethan and Aiden certainly aren’t the same person, for all that Derek can never tell them apart.) There’s a lot about them that’s different. Their bodies, for one. Their hearts, for another.

He never has to explain himself to Erica. So when he asks her, “What’s it like, being in love?” she doesn’t ask him why, or look at him in confusion, or do anything but bite her lip the way she does when she’s carefully contemplating her answer.

“It’s…” she says. “Hm.” She clasps her hands over her belly and taps her feet against her bed. “It’s like wanting.”

“Wanting?”

She nods, and the movement bunches Isaac’s shirt over his stomach. He doesn’t mind, though, just keeps running his fingers through her hair. “You want them, and you want everything _for_ them,” Erica says. “You want to hand them the moon. You want to be there with them, be there for them, always. You want to be everything for them. You want to be everything they could ever want. You want to be the best you could ever be, just for them. _Because_ of them.”

He taps the top of her head. “That sounds exhausting.”

“Nah,” she says, reaching up to wrap her hand around his. “It’s energizing. It’s _inspiring_. It’s like a marathon of a runner’s high, it’s – it’s like the sweetest kind of burn.”

“Huh.” The afternoon sun peeks through the curtains, and the room feels warm and cozy, like a blanket settling around them. “It still sounds like a lot of effort.”

“When you’re in it, it’s worth it.” She turns and snuggles her cheek into the bare skin of his belly, smiling up at him. It’s worth craning his neck to smile back. “It’s an effort being with you, too, but you’re worth it.”

He drops his head back with a low chuckle. “Yeah, but that’s different.”

“Just a little,” she says. “Boyd and Cora, I can’t stop them from leaving if they want. I wouldn’t, even if I could. That’s not how being in love works.” She reaches up and presses a finger against his bottom lip. “But you don’t get to leave me. Not ever. You’re not allowed.”

He kisses her fingertip. “Of course,” he says. “I’d be nothing without you.”

She pats his cheek. “See? Worth it.”

 

**_2012_ **

He burrows into Erica’s bed, and she pulls the covers over their heads and illuminates the dark space with a flashlight, tucking close to him like they would have if they had known each other as small children. It’s just as fun, now. It’s even more fun, now. She leans in close, flashlight rolling between them, and grins. “You have a secret,” she whispers.

He bites his lip, fighting down a smile. “I think I’m in love with Allison Argent,” he whispers back. She squeals and kisses him on the nose and squeezes him tight and doesn’t ask him if he’s sure. Because he isn’t sure, and his gut feels like it’s lost at sea in a storm, but he thinks, maybe.

 

Because. Because he likes being with her. He could watch her all day, follow her anywhere and hold her hand and steal kisses in the hallway. He can sit with her in complete silence, just soaking up her presence, and he can doze on her bed with her head on his bony chest while they talk about anything. Anything that isn’t about hunting. Anything that isn’t about the Code. Anything that isn’t about werewolves.

He can train with her, too, fight with her hand-to-hand and retrieve the arrows she shoots. He’s getting better at throwing knives; Chris Argent is teaching him a little about guns. Because it’s good to share interests, right? That’s important for a relationship, right? She used to paint when she was younger, but she doesn’t really get it, now. But that’s okay. He’s not too bad at training, and they both love browsing the YA fiction at the library.

Derek watches them like he’s worried, sometimes, but that’s just Derek being Derek.

They try going on a double date with Scott and Kira, once, and Isaac’s pretty sure he’s the only one who doesn’t feel horrifically awkward the whole time. Then he feels horrifically awkward about not feeling horrifically awkward.

“I’m sorry,” Allison tells him over bubble milk tea at Kenny’s. “I should have – I thought – I’m sorry, Isaac, I’m not being fair to you.”

He nods. “You’re still in love with Scott.”

“No, I’m.” She slumps. “Maybe. I don’t know. I thought I wasn’t, anymore. But it doesn’t matter, what matters is I’m not being fair to you, because you’re great, you really are, and-”

“It’s okay.” And it is, is the thing. He actually feels lighter, now that he knows it’s over. Calmer. Relaxed. “Really, Allison. It’s okay.” He fiddles with his drink, picking up boba with his straw and letting them splash back down into the tea. “What’s it like, being in love?”

He doesn’t dare look up, but he can imagine her expression shifting anyway. Surprise, confusion, maybe a dash of dismay. “Oh,” she says. “Well, um. I guess it’s like…” She’s silent for so long that Isaac glances up from his straw to see her staring pensively out the window. A flock of geese fly by, heading back north for the spring. “It’s like being free.”

 

**_2014_ **

“It’s like being in free-fall,” Danny says. “Like you’re plummeting through the air, no parachute, no safety net, nothing to save you at the bottom, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

Isaac props his chin up on Danny’s chest. “Well, that sounds terrifying.”

His head bobs as Danny huffs out a sad sort of laugh. “Well, that’s because it is.” His mouth tightens, and Isaac knows that he’s thinking about Ethan.

He wonders what it’s like, to lose two-and-a-half-years of…of free-fall. Like losing a really close friend? Worse? Matt had tried to kill him that one time; maybe it’s kind of like that. “You’re so lucky,” Danny sighs absently, then jolts like he’s been electrocuted. “Shit, I’m sorry. That was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that, I didn’t mean-”

“No, it’s fine,” Isaac says. He trails his fingers over the dip in Danny’s chest and feels him slowly relax. “I get it. Sometimes I wonder if I am, you know. Don’t have to deal with all that pain.”

“It’s not all – okay, it’s a lot of pain,” Danny says. He chuckles, and it doesn’t sound as broken as before. “It’s a _lot_ of pain. But it’s great, you know? It’s just…it’s such a rush, it’s the biggest high you’ll ever feel. It’s the kind of pain you want.”

Isaac hums. “Pain that you want,” he repeats. “Interesting.”

“It sucks,” Danny says firmly. “It sucks and I’m totally addicted to it.”

 

Later, after Isaac comes back from South America and Scott can look at sausage links without turning green, Danny sits on Isaac’s bed and says, “I’m sorry I kinda fell in love with you.”

“It’s my fault,” Isaac says, picking at a loose thread on his jeans. “I shouldn’t have led you on.”

He doesn’t answer, and Isaac finally looks up to see Danny gaping at him in confusion. “Are you serious?” he finally says. “You told me, like, fifty times that you didn’t want anything more than that. You weren’t – you didn’t-” He tilts his head. “Do you actually understand what constitutes leading someone on?”

“Kind of?” Isaac tries.

Danny stares at him for several seconds before apparently giving up. “You weren’t leading me on, Isaac,” he says. “That was all on me. And I’m sorry I did that to you.”

“It’s.” Isaac tries to shrug and ends up doing some weird sort of shimmy instead. “I mean.”

A dimple appears in Danny’s left cheek. “So, can we still be friends?”

“Were we ever not?”

The other dimple appears, and Danny’s entire face lights up before he pulls Isaac into a hug.

 

**_2013_ **

“Wow, the waiter was totally flirting with you,” Cora says.

“What?” Isaac asks. “No. We were just talking.”

“Yeah, no, he was definitely flirting with you,” Cora says. “And you were definitely flirting back.”

 _“What?”_ Isaac demands. She crunches smugly on an ice cube. “Cora. He was telling me about the menu specials. How was that flirting?”

“Oh, you sweet summer child,” Cora says pityingly. Her smirk slides off her face when he just stares blankly at her. “You really weren’t trying to flirt with him?”

“No. Why would I flirt with someone in front of my sister? That’s just tacky.”

“Never stopped Laura,” Cora says with a shrug. “Or Derek. You know how many times Mom made me tag along on his dates with Paige? Gross.”

“Gross,” Isaac agrees. “I’d never do that to you.”

The waiter comes back. “Here’s your mac ‘n’ cheese,” he says, putting Cora’s bowl down in front of her, “And here’s your grilled cheese and tomato bisque. It’s my favorite, I really hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Isaac says. The waiter smiles at him, so he smiles back. “Thanks for the recommendation…” he flicks his eyes down to the nametag pinned to the waiter’s chest, “…Noah.”

Noah beams, and then another table signals him. “Gotta dash,” he says, sounding weirdly apologetic. “Let me know if you want anything, okay?”

Isaac turns back to Cora to see her watching him exasperatedly. “What? Don’t tell me you think that was flirting.”

“Oh, no, I _know_ that was flirting,” Cora says. “He was _smiling_ at you.”

“He seems like a friendly guy! And it’s kind of his job to smile at customers.”

“And you totally checked him out,” she adds, digging into her food. “I mean, yeah, those V-neck shirts show off his chest, but, come on.”

“I was reading his nametag!” He dunks his sandwich into the tomato bisque and chews it moodily. “You’re just making this up to mess with me.”

Cora shakes her head with a sigh. “Lemme try some of your sandwich.” Instead of holding her hand out like a normal person, she leans across the table and opens her mouth expectantly.

“So, how’s-” Noah comes back to their table just in time to watch Isaac feed Cora a bite of his grilled cheese. “Oh. Uh, we have some dessert specials, and a lot of them are nice to, uh, split-”

“Huh?” Isaac asks. Noah fiddles with the dessert menu. “Oh, no, we’re not – she’s my sister.”

“Oh,” Noah says. “Oh! Okay, well, I’ll just leave this here, and, uh. I’ll go get you a refill on your Pepsi!” he says quickly, snatching up Cora’s empty can and fleeing into the kitchen.

“Wow,” Cora says. “That was painful.”

“Was _that_ flirting?” Isaac asks.

“No, that was just flailing.” She shakes her head pityingly at the kitchen doors. Isaac takes the opportunity to steal a spoonful of her mac ‘n’ cheese. “Panicked, painful flailing.”

“He’s pretty cute,” Isaac says, and tries for another spoonful. Cora smacks his hand away.

“Might not want to go barking up that tree, actually,” she says.

Isaac drops his spoon onto the table. “I’m confused,” he says. “First you say he’s been flirting with me. And now you’re saying I _shouldn’t_ go for it?”

“He’s-” Cora shuts her mouth as a completely different waiter sets down a new can of Pepsi. She waits for him to leave before she leans in and hisses, “He’s a virgin.”

“So what?” Isaac says. He scrapes up the last of his tomato bisque. “And how the hell do you know that? Can you smell it on people?”

“No,” Cora says, frowning at him like he’s an idiot. He’s very familiar with the look. “He has a purity ring.”

“Oh,” Isaac says.

She nods. “He probably wants to date the hell out of you. Valentine’s Day’s coming up soon, you know.”

“Oh.” He can’t help the sudden panic that flares up in his chest. “Um. Uh.”

She watches him carefully. “Do you want me to take care of the bill while you go hide outside?”

“No, jeez, it’s fine,” he says petulantly, and then proceeds to pretend to read a text on his Motorola phone when a slightly red-faced Noah brings them the bill.

Cora flips over the receipt when they leave, snorts, and hands it to Isaac. There’s a phone number with Noah’s name scribbled on the back. “He checked out your ass, like, five times when we left,” she says as they start walking back to the house. She ducks under his arm and leans into his side, playing with the fringe on his scarf. “You know, you can just not call him. That’s perfectly acceptable.”

“You said I was flirting with him, though,” Isaac says. “I feel bad leading him on and then just…rejecting him, or whatever.”

“Well, it’s not like you knew you were flirting,” Cora says reasonably. “You weren’t trying to lead him on.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t know that.” He shoves the receipt into his pocket with a frown. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” Cora says. “Romance is weird.”

“Yeah, it is,” he says fervently. “What’s it like? Y’know, romance, love, all that?”

“You’ve never felt that way before?” Cora asks. He shakes his head. “Okay. Well, it’s like, um…I dunno, it just feels so natural.”

He snorts. “Gee, thanks.”

“Not like that, shut up,” Cora says. “I mean, it feels like…like this is how it’s supposed to be. When you’re with someone. It, it just makes sense, you know?”

Isaac nods slowly, mulling it over. “…Yeah, no, I don’t know,” he says finally. “Sorry, sis, that made no fucking sense.”

She snorts and shoves him lightly. He goes flying into a bush.

 

He stares at his phone, then the receipt, then his phone, and then he takes a deep breath and presses ‘Send.’

 **To:** Noah, 8:00 pm

hi, its isaac from the diner. um this is a kinda weird question but, do u wanna go out w me? platonically? as friends?

He never does get a response. He worded it really badly, anyway.

 

**_2017_ **

“Being in love?” Jordan says. “Oh, it’s like – hmm.” He sits up a little straighter in the beach shallows, propping his back against the rock Isaac’s perched on. “It’s like having everything you’ll ever need. Nothing else matters, because they’re there. They’re – they’re it, you know. It’s like, it’s like…”

“Like giving them your pelt?” Isaac suggests.

Jordan laughs. “Yeah, it’s like that. I guess I’m not the best person to ask about this stuff.”

“Hey, I gotta ask someone.”

Jordan swats at his leg in mock indignation. “Okay, it’s like…” He drops his arm back into the water with a splash. “Like you weren’t whole until you met them. Like, you didn’t even realize it before, but now that you’re there, it’s just…this is it, you know?”

“I don’t really know, but that’s interesting,” Isaac says. “Were you in love with Derek?”

“Nah,” he says easily. “It was great – _he’s_ great – but, nah.”

Isaac frowns. They’d been together for nearly two years. That’s long enough to fall in love, right? Because the point of a relationship is to be in love, right? “How d’you know?” he asks.

“Well, I never gave him my pelt,” Jordan says. He’s smiling, joking, but there’s still a bit of truth behind his eyes. “I gave it to you.”

“You’re not in love with me.”

“There’s more than one kind of love, Isaac.”

Isaac sighs. “I know that. _Everyone_ keeps reminding me that.”

“Well, maybe it’s because you keep needing to be reminded,” Jordan says, nudging Isaac’s leg with his shoulder.

“I know being in love isn’t the be-all, end-all,” Isaac says. He hadn’t known that for a while, but he does now. “I’m just trying to understand.”

“Not so sure it’s something that can be understood,” Jordan says. He climbs onto the rock next to Isaac, draping a towel over Isaac’s damp skin before clasping his hands in his lap. “I miss him every day,” he says quietly.

Isaac presses his lips together. He picks up a corner of his towel and tucks it around Jordan’s shoulders. “Me, too.”

They watch the sunset in silence.

 

**_2016_ **

Aiden says, “I don’t know.”

Isaac perks up immediately. “Oh?”

“I don’t know what it’s like to be in love,” Aiden says. His brow furrows, and his fingers tap nervously on the couch. “I wish I did. I wish I had – that.”

“Oh,” Isaac says, and tries not to sound too disappointed. He knows he’s not the only one who feels like…like the way that he does – Boyd had shown him online communities and stuff – but it still would have been cool to meet someone else like him. Like, in person. Tangible. But, well, “So that’s – something you want for yourself, one day?”

“There’s a lot of things I want for myself,” Aiden says humorlessly. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little broken.”

“Yeah, you kind of are,” Isaac says. That’s probably the wrong thing to say, but there’s no use in trying to lie to a werewolf. It doesn’t seem to bother Aiden, anyway. “And that’s okay. We’re all a little broken.”

He means it in a general sense, but Aiden shuts down a little and starts picking at a loose thread on the couch. His claws don’t flick out, and he doesn’t rip up half of the cushion. He just tugs meticulously at the single thread, composed and perfectly controlled. “I would have killed him,” he says. “For what he did to you. If I had known – if I’d met you sooner-”

“Well, it’s out of your hands, now,” Isaac says. “And it would’ve been a hassle to visit you in prison, anyway.”

He snorts. “It would’ve looked like an accident,” he says confidently. “Child’s play.”

Isaac watches him twirl the thread between his fingers, shoulders loose and relaxed. He tries not to think about the implications of those last two words, how deep they run for the twins. He’s not sure if even Malia knows the details of their past. He reaches out and closes his hand over Aiden’s, feeling his fingers curl easily under his. “Thank you,” he says.

Aiden stares at him. “Don’t mention it,” he says, his voice falling somewhere between confused and flat.

“I won’t.”

 

**_2018_ **

Isaac has embraced his scrawny chicken legs. (“They’re not scrawny chicken legs,” Allison says.) Isaac has embraced his gangly antelope legs. They’re really useful on the lacrosse field, or running cross-country, or fleeing from a kitsune you drew a mustache on while they were sleeping. Not that Isaac ever did that last one or anything; it’s just a good frame of reference.

Because Derek is the actual physical embodiment of a bodice-ripper romance cover, he loves exercising just as much as he loves reading. Isaac loves neither activity, but he goes jogging with Derek every Sunday morning. It started as a weird bonding compromise when they were still getting to know each other – Isaac hated exercise, Derek hated waking up early – but now it’s become a tradition between the two of them. Just the two of them.

Just the two of them, and probably half the population of Beacon Hills who inevitably wander near their jogging route to ogle Derek in all his gleaming, shirtless glory.

(“That’s not true,” Cora says. “They also ogle you in all your gleaming, booty-shorts glory. Your quads are impressive without being intimidating, which appeals to a lot of people. Also, the shorts do really great things for your ass.”

“I love that you can objectify me in an objective way,” Isaac says.)

Derek has never been the greatest conversationalist, so if Isaac doesn’t start talking, they usually jog in silence. It used to make Isaac feel awkward, like Derek didn’t really want to be there, but now he gets it. It’s comfortable. There’s more than one way to communicate.

He snorts when a fellow jogger trips over a bench while staring at Derek’s chest. Derek rolls his eyes. “Aw, come on, that was hilarious,” Isaac says. “Classic romantic comedy material.”

“Yeah, because I’ve always wanted my life to be a romantic comedy,” Derek says dryly. “You shouldn’t watch those so much, they rot your brain.”

“Aw, but they’re so much fun,” Isaac says. “So many different ways to fall in love, with plenty of secondhand embarrassment along the way.”

“They’re completely inaccurate,” Derek sniffs, jabbing the crosswalk signal. Jordan used to drive by and reprimand them if he caught them jaywalking, but he got reassigned patrol routes a year or so ago. Still, it’s become an ingrained habit to wait at a completely empty street for the light to change. “Those kinds of romances, they’ll never work out in real life. That’s why they always end it right when they get together. It’s not how real love works.”

The light turns green, and they start across the street. “So, then, how _does_ it work?” Isaac teases. “Since you’re such an expert, and all.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Derek says, rolling his eyes the way he does when he’s trying to hide his embarrassment. “I don’t know. It’s different for everyone, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Isaac says easily, and watches Derek smile faintly out of the corner of his eye. “So what’s it like for you? Falling in love, being in love, all that sap?”

Derek shrugs. “I dunno. I never really thought about it.”

“Well, that’s a cop-out.” He elbows Derek in the ribs. “C’mon. Use your words.”

Derek sighs. “It’s like…” They turn the corner and jog the last block. The front door is cracked open, and even with just his human nose, Isaac can smell sizzling bacon and the perfect coffee that Scott makes. Derek ducks his head with a smile as they slow to a stop in the driveway. “It’s like coming home.”

 

**_2012_ **

“What’s it like?” Scott repeats. “Oh, it’s…” His eyes unfocus, and Isaac watches his face flicker through a myriad of emotions: happiness, hurt, pain, joy, sorrow, devastation, warmth, before settling on a serene sort of blankness. “When you know, you know.”

Isaac blinks. “That is the least helpful response I have ever heard,” he says.

Scott laughs. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. But it’s true! You can’t quantify it, it’s – when you’re in love, you know.” He shakes his head, smiling lightly. “You just know. That’s it.”

“Okay,” Isaac says, nodding to himself. It doesn’t make any sense at all, but maybe that’s the point. He looks up and sees Scott still staring off into space with a faint smile. “What’s on your mind right now?”

“No one,” Scott says absently. “Uh, I mean, nothing.” He clears his throat. “Yeah. Nothing.”

Isaac smirks. “Thinking of who you’re gonna kiss at midnight?” he asks, elbowing him jokingly.

“No,” Scott says, even as his skin flushes darker. “That New Year’s kiss is so overdone, you know, I don’t get why people freak out about it so much.”

“Me, neither,” Isaac says. “I guess, maybe, it’s that fear of being alone. Like, if you don’t have someone _right this moment_ , you’re going to be alone forever and that’s basically the worst thing, ever.”

Scott watches him with badly concealed concern. “Do you believe that?” he asks.

Isaac shrugs. “I’m working on it.”

“Yeah,” Scott says. He knocks their shoulders together. “Yeah, me, too.”

 

**_2018_ **

Scott leans up to kiss Derek before pressing his coffee tumbler into his hands. He hands Isaac his own coffee, light tan with cream and the barest sprinkle of sugar. “You okay?” he asks.

Isaac pulls himself out of his thoughts. He smiles. “I’m perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Noah is the lifeguard who died as a virgin sacrifice in 3x03. No darach here, though, so he’s alive! He waits tables at the diner when the pool’s closed for the winter.
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://www.pocketlass.tumblr.com) if you wanna say hi!


End file.
